02 June 2006

Mother of IRA victim furious at book claims

The mother of a republican victim linked to British agent Kevin Fulton has spoken of her 16-year battle for justice after fresh details emerged of the killing.

Ailish Morley (64) said she was disappointed that nobody had been arrested for the 1990 killing by the IRA despite Fulton reportedly admitting his involvement in a book to be published later this month.

Newry dissident republican Eoin Morley was shot dead after leaving the mainstream movement and in the book Fulton said he was one of two gunmen involved but didn't say who pulled the trigger.

The incident has been the subject of a Police Ombudsman investigation.

Ms Morley said that Fulton, a former neighbour in the border town turned IRA informer, had to live with his conscience for the rest of his days.

"I don't hate Kevin Fulton, he must hate himself every day he looks in the mirror. He comes from a lovely family, his parents are lovely people, in fact all his family are lovely people but he has to live with himself and he must hate himself," she said.

"He should come before the courts. I am disappointed that it's been so slow in coming to the fore. I have always believed that the police knew who was involved at the time and I am still waiting on arrests.

"It has been 16 years but it is still very raw. All I can do is hope that it will come sooner rather than later."

Mr Fulton didn't respond to efforts to contact him but a spokeswoman for the publisher of his book Unsung Hero, Michelle Signore, said she was 'aware' of the controversy.

He has been repeatedly linked to the Morley murder by press reports, although he has not been charged with any offence.

The killing is one of the cases being probed by the Historic Enquiries Team. Last year Police Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan found that there had never been a proper investigation into Morley's murder, that the police had failed to arrest a suspect and that high-grade intelligence had not been acted on.

The Ombudsman also found that during a meeting with police, the suspect had given the impression that he had carried out the murder. His fingerprint was also found on the murder weapon.

Mrs Morley said Fulton should be arrested and quizzed about the murder.

She added: "I don't care what money he gets from the book. No matter how much money he gets it will always be blood money. It might bring to the fore how evil the informer system is.

"He says that he has saved lives but if that was the case then why didn't he save my son?"

Eoin's father, David, was an IRA officer in the Maze prison in the early 1970s after defeating Gerry Adams in an election among IRA inmates.

Shortly before his death, Eoin Morley had left the IRA and joined the Irish People's Liberation Organisation.

He was shot twice on the night of Easter Sunday, April 15 1990 at a house in Derrybeg in Newry.

He was taken to the local Daisy Hill Hospital but died a few hours later from his injuries. The IRA said they had carried out the attack.